Concealment
Cerys Evans
This series of images explores the use of makeup and how we use it in such a materialistic way to construct a sense of ourselves. Applying something to our face – it’s almost like rolling paint across a wall! The makeup we apply creates a surface of different colours and textures – but we know these are layers that we can remove.
Concealment considers the idea of construction in abstract or metaphorical terms. We can think of the environment outside and how it changes depending on the weather. A building will shelter us from rain and high winds, keeping us safe and warm within its spaces. Materials such as concrete, breeze blocks, glass and metal are used to construct an environment within which we place ourselves. These structures are more than buildings, they are a protective skin.
In a similar way, makeup is also a skin, a second skin, a layer coating the surface of our real skin, protecting us against the elements and the judgement of the outside world. We apply makeup in a physical way, building it, materially, around us. Reflecting this materiality, my images suggest an earthiness and a naturalness which may sometimes be more constructed than real.
